Musings Over Coffee
by lostfish
Summary: WARNING:CONTAINS MAJOR HALF BLOOD PRINCE SPOILERS! You have been warned. Don't read if you haven't read the book. My version of what happens aftewards. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: CONTAINS HALF BLOOD PRINCE MAJOR SPOILERS!**

_A/N: My version of what happens after the sixth book. _

_**Disclaimer: If I did own any of this, why would I be typing this? Everything belongs to the great JK Rowling.**_

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Severus Snape was busy making some strong coffee for himself. It had been a long week. He, and the young Malfoy boy hand been running for what seemed like eternity. Then they had finally gotten past the gates, and had been able to apparate out of Hogwarts grounds. That day had been a nightmare for him. He had done the thing he had most been fearing to do.

He, Severus Snape, had killed the great Albus Dumbledore.

Of course he didn't want to. But Dumbledore had said that he must. Insisted that it was the right thing. In order to save the students...save Draco...save Snape. He had argued, of course. But time was running out. He had to convince the Deatheaters so he could get on with his plan. So he had done it.

Then Potter had to be dealt with. And the great Potter had called him a coward. That had enraged him. And he had a right to be enraged! He had to kill Dumbledore. He had to do what he had been dreading. The inevitable had occured. Potter wouldn't know. Potter wouldn't know that he hated himself for doing it. Potter and the Order would never know that...

Snape mixed the sugar into his coffee and stared into its swirling depths. At that moment, Draco burst into the kitchen, and opened his mouth to say something, when Bellatrix Lestrange walked in, followed by Narcissa Malfoy.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, ladies?" Snape asked, a mocking smile upon his face. He gestured for them to sit down.

"Well, well, well, Severus," said Bellatrix, her lips curving into a sneer. "Looks like everything went as planned. The muggle-loving fool is rid of. Good."

"Yes, it was quite easy to do. Now...how may I be of assistance to you?"

"We have a – "

Bellatrix began, but was cut off as Narcissa spoke.

"I want Draco out Severus! I want that wretched mark off his arm!"

"Mother!" said Draco, surprised.

"I am sorry Narcissa, but Draco here, cannot get the mark off. He is bound by blood and will, as we all are.

"He is too young Severus! A sixteen year-old boy should not be succumbed to the will of the Dark Lord!" she cried hysterically.

"Mother, my age means nothing! I wish to give my service to the Dark– "

"No! Draco, this is not your choice! It may be of your concern, but I will decide whether you are to give your services to the Dark Lord!"

"No, dear Cissy. I am afraid it is I who will decide that," came a new voice. A cold voice, that was never welcome, and always feared.

"My Lord!" Bellatrix cried, and fell to her feet, as did the others. "Forgive my sister, she knows not which she speaks of!"

Voldemort ignored Bellatrix, and instead focused his gaze on Narcissa.

"So...you do not wish your son to be part of the Dark Lord's followers? Not be a part of the greatest group dedicated to me and the Dark Arts?"

Narcissa was silent. Voldemort continued.

"Well, whether you wish it or not, you son will be a part of this great movement."

"I am sorry My Lord, forgive me," Narcissa murmured quietly.

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_I'll update ASAP. Review please. Thank you. _


	2. Chapter 2

1_A/N:_ _Thank you to the following reviewers:_

**LizSnape-** I hope something along the lines of this will happen. What I do want to happen is for Snape to reveal himself and why he did what he did. There's more of Bellatrix, but I can't guarantee her playing a major part in the story. BTW, thanks for reviewing on The Snake Unveiled! I don't think you're stalking me...lol.. Thanks for your review, and enjoy!

**Angela Dawne **- I'm glad you liked it. Really, really glad. Here's the update, hope you really, really like this one! Thanks for your review, and enjoy!

**Joebob64** - Nice to find someone else who still trusts Snape. There are thousands of theories on why he did what he did, but this is one of them, and I'm glad we agree on it. Here's the next chapter. Thanks for your review, and enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: If I did own any of this, why would I be typing this? Everything belongs to the great JK Rowling.**_

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_Don't go where the path may lead you. Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson_

Draco was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling as if it held some secret of the universe.

"Why is Mother so upset about my choice to be a Deatheater?" he muttered to himself.

Draco's thoughts went back to that night he had fled Hogwarts.

_**Flashback**_

"_Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."_

_"How do you know that? You don't know what I'm capable of! You don't know what I've done!"_

_"Oh yes, I do," Dumbledore had said mildly. "You almost killed Kaiti Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts...so feeble, to be honest, that I wondered whether your heart has been really in it."_

_**End Flashback**_

As much as he hated to admit it, the old fool had been right. Draco sighed. Now, there was no turning back. Nobody, not his mother, father, or Snape could get him out of this one. Snape. Who's side was he really on? Draco had never known Snape was a double agent. And how dare he? How dare he try and get all the glory for himself? Draco was angry now. He would make Professor Snape pay.

Snape, Narcissay, and Bellatrix were all sitting at the four-legged table, each thinking to one's own content.

Why is Narcissa so keen to get Draco out of the Deatheater group? She, herself was in the Inner Circle, and had almost as much devotion to the Dark Lord as Lucius did. Does she regret her descion? Well, everyone believed at one point whether the descion they made was the right one or not, Snape mused. Yet, he had himself had been like Draco. There was no other paths that life had to offer. Joining the Dark Lord would make him great. Give him power. _Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?_

So. Snape did kill Dumbledore. About time to, Bellatrix thought nastily. But back to the matter at hand. Her dear sister, after so foolishly exclaiming that Draco couldn't stay with the Deatheaters, had finally given in. Good. The boy must have some use, no? Besides, what could Narcissa do? Defy the Greatest Wizard alive? Bellatrix's thoughts went back to Snape. She still couldn't trust him. The Dark Lord, after all, could be wrong.

Whatever her sister might think, Narcissa hadn't given into defeat. She was not going to sit down quietly and watch her _only son's _life be ruined. When Lucius got out of Azkaban, she would talk to him. He would approach the Dark Lord. Of course her Master wouldn't be so sympathetic to Lucius at the moment. But it was not only his fault about what happened at the Ministry.

While Voldemort's three of the few Deatheaters were doing mind excercises, Voldemort himself was doing a little cartwheels himself. He was almost content. The fool Dumbledore, who he had fought for so long was gone. Finally. Voldemort was pratically sure he could trust Snape again. But of course, he could trust no one. Dumbledore, without a doubt, had found out about his Horcruxes. Potter, probably, knew about them too. They should have been quicker to kill Dumbledore. But alas, the dead are the dead. He would make sure no one but himself knew where the Horcruxes were. Lord Voldemort was not a fool. And he did not intend to become to become one.

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_The flashback Draco has, is from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, US Version, page 585. _

_The quote in Snape's thought's is from Garth Nix._

_Thank you._


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Gah, sorry for the long wait. Here you go!_**

_Disclaimer: Nothing darlings, nothing._

**Angela Dawne** - Thank you very much for reviewing! I'm glad you like it. Yes, I really believe Snape isn't evil. smiles back Sorry for taking so long, I've been putting it off, because I'm lazy. Enjoy!

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"Narcissa, I think it is time for Draco to complete his initiation," Bellatrix told her sister.

"Complete? I thought it was complete. He did what he was asked to do."

"Cissy," Bellatrix said slowly. She didn't want her siter to get all hysterical again. "Cissy, while Draco did repair the vanishing cabinet, he wasn't the one who ended up killing Dumbledore...so..."

Narcissa started. Bellatrix may have plans for Draco, but she would make sure he never got around to doing them. She'd just have to pretend that she had given up hope...yes, that would work...

"So, what has He assigned Draco to do?" Narcissa asked carefully.

"Only Draco is to know that."

"Oh, and I suppose you know do you? You after all are his _most _faithful servant."

"Cissy!" Bellatrix exclaimed, surprised at her sister for being so resentful.

Narcissa ignored her Bellatrix and went into the kitchen. Seeing as how the ministry was raiding their house, and keeping watch over it, she had moved in with her sister, whereabouts unknown. She looked at her watch, wondering where he was.

"Still getting information from that house-elf, are you?"

"Yes," said Narcissa distractedly, for Kreacher has just popped up.

"Ah, Kreacher. Anything new?"

Kreacher bowed low to Narcissa and Bellatrix before saying, "Kreacher is sorry miss, that Kreacher could not come before. Master Potter," he said, sneering ant the word 'master,' "asked Kreacher to keep an eye on the young Master Malfoy. _Foolish little boy, can't do anything right._.." he said, muttering the last part. Apparently, part of the family or not, Kreacher despised everyone except his beloved mistress.

"He what! Potter asked you to spy on Draco!"

"And that excuse for a house-elf...Dobby"

Narcissa ignored the last commetn.

"Bella, do you suppose Potter knew what Draco was doing?" she asked anxiously.

"Potter and his nosy friends, no doubt found out something...meddlesome little brats..." said Bella nastily.

"Yes, well...what if Potter heard Draco and Severus talking..."

"Cissy, it doesn't matter anymore. The plan has been completed. No need to fret."

"Yes, well, what about this plan, hmm? What if Potter knows something of that?"

"How can he? Draco doesn't even know about it. Don't worry, Narcissa, everything will go smoothly," Bellatrix said confidently, "besides, the one bridge that has usually thwarted us has collapsed."

"Yes, but even if Dumbledore's gone..."

"You can't seem to think that Potter is such a big threat?" Bellatrix snorted. "He will not know anything he is not to know."

Narcissa was silent. In her mind, she was contemplating whether or not she ought to do what she had been planning. Her thoughts were interrupted from a noise from Kreacher.

"Yes, Kreacher, what is it?" she asked impatiently.

"Miss, Kreacher is wondering whether Kreacher should tell Mistress what he heard."

"Out with it, " said Narcissa.

"As you wish mistress," said Kreacher, bowing low. "Since the Potter boy has sent Kreacher to work at Hogwarts..._nasty place with the filthy little mudbloods and the stupid house elves_...Kreacher has heard some interesting things, miss."

"Oh, and what would that be Kreacher?" Narcissa asked, annoyance threaded into her voice.

"Miss, while Kreacher was working in the kitchens, some Slytherins came in. They was talking in hushed tones, miss, so Kreacher decided to find out," he said, smiling nastily.

"It seems a raid is going to take place at Hogwarts. An atttack, Mistress, upon the school. Kreacher though– "

"A what?" Bellatrix asked, disbelievingly.

"An attack, madam." replied Kreacher.

"Kreacher, that's impossible," Narcissa said, "we would have known. You must have misunderstood."

"If Kreacher may be so bold, miss, but Kreacher is sure of it. An attack, not by the deatheaters but by the– "

There was a loud crash, interrupting Kreacher. Narcissa and Bellatrix looked around in alarm, and ran towards the sound.

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_Muahahaa. Cliffhanger. Review please. Thank you._


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